The Epic Portfolio Post

Whenever people ask me "Where to start?" my eyes get really big. *audible gulp.* It's not
that I don't know the answer - it's that there are soooooooo many answers, and the answers themselves lead to more questions... and even more answers.

The quick and easy answer is - To get a job as a creative (copywriter, art director or designer) in advertising, you need a portfolio to demonstrate your skills and understanding of the industry.

Yeah, that wasn't so quick was it?

So now we get to a whole bunch of follow up questions: What is a portfolio? Then, how do you get a portfolio? Then, what do you do once you have a portfolio? How do you get a job? How do you keep a job? (Thankfully, there are blogs like this that are here to help. Whew.) 

Here's a collection of just about everything I've ever written about portfolios. (1. Holy crap I've written a lot. 2. Holy crap there's so much I haven't mentioned yet.) 

(Just About) Everything You Need to Know About Your Portfolio

1. First things first:

Watch the movie Art & Copy and this video Pursuit of Passion.

2. Things to know before you get started: 

What is a Creative? Quick overview of what a creative is and does.

So You Wanna Be A Creative Director?: Tough love and 6 things you need to do right now.

Tips For Aspiring Copywriter & Art Directors: Basic explanation of the whos and hows of working in an agency, plus 5 tips to get hired at one.

3. What is a portfolio? (aka "Book") 

Your Portfolio: General tips about what your portfolio should look like and contain.

What Exactly Do You Mean By "Portfolio"?: Breakdown of what a portfolio/book is and what to put in it.

Tips On Putting Your Portfolio Together: Tips for copywriters, art directors and developers

What Your Portfolio Says About You: 5 things to do to make sure your portfolio is top notch.

4. What To Put In Your Portfolio:

What I Look For In A Book: 3 Things this blogger looks for in a book.

Make Somebody Cry: Why you should make people react.

Beef Up Your Book: Why you should have a non-advertising section on your site

Make Something People Need: Come up with an idea that solves a problem

New Ads for old things: Do a campaign for an old product

Make a PSA Today: Create a public service announcement

Change The World or a Law: Advertise for/against a cause or law 

5. What Not To Put In Your Portfolio: 

What Not To Put In Your Book: Quick answer: Anything you can't say "I came up with this" or "I wrote/art directed that" about.

Don't Benetton Your Book: Why you should be very, very cautious about using edgy humour

Sex Sells:  Don't put anything sexual or tawdry in your book.

Nike Doesn't Need More Ads: Why you should create ads for brands that create amazing ads and ways you can show your talent by the brands you have in your book.

Things to Stop Doing. Immediately: A few things to take out (never put in) your portfolio.


6. Notes On Your Portfolio 

Is Your Campaign Awesome or Awful? Flowchart (and checklist) to help you judge whether your idea is good and has all the elements of a campaign.

Here's an Idea - Keep It Simple: You should be able to explain your idea in 140 characters or less.

How To Train Ideas: E-book about brainstorming with tips, examples and advice.

Is Your Idea Big Enough: An example of a big idea.

Respect the Brand: Show you understand a brand's personality, tone and image.

Using Pop Culture In Your Book: Tips and examples of how/when to use pop culture references in your work.

What the big wigs think about your book: Some of the things young creatives do & don't do

Common Portfolio Review Mistakes: 5 mistakes juniors make when having their book reviewed.

Your Book Will Never Be Finished: 5 Tips about getting through the never-ending creative cycle

7. What are Portfolio Schools (aka Ad School) & Should You Go?

Where For Art Thou Portfolio: Pros & Cons

Portfolio School, Fool: List of a few schools

Portfolio School or Not to Portfolio School? 8 Reasons you should go to portfolio school

What is Portfolio School Like?: 10 things you'll do in portfolio school

How to Apply to Portfolio School: Interview of 3 admission staff at 3 different portfolio schools.

Two Creatives On Portfolio School: Interview of two creatives who did go to portfolio school

Creatives Who Made Their Own Way: Interview of two creatives that didn't go to portfolio school share their journey

What You Won't Learn In Ad School: 6 things they didn't tell you in school

School vs Work: What I Learned My 1st Year Out: 5 things she didn't learn in school and 5 things she did.

8. And lastly, don't say I didn't warn you 

But Are You Really Ready To Work?: It's going to take a lot of hard work

Don't Get A Job In Advertising: Some of the most difficult parts of working in advertising

Look At Me

You have a good portfolio -- now what? Well, now you have to figure out how to get people
to look at it. And then to want to call you in for an interview. And that's when you can hit them with the one two - great book, great personality POW - you're hired!

But how do you go from step 1 - to steps 2 and 3? 

The basic idea is of having a portfolio is to show people how you think. How smart and creative you are. How you can solve problems. And what you'll bring to table. 

So start thinking about how you can do that even before someone clicks on your link.

Here's a great example of a creative way to get noticed. 

Two students put their books in bathrooms at agencies around New York -   showing that they can come up with creative solutions - which is what you're going to do every day when you get hired. 

It's all about how you can get the right message, to the right target, at the right time. (Well in this case, right-ish.) 

The Toilet Book from Akos Papp on Vimeo.

Read this article about how and why they did it. Junior Ad Men Drop Off Portfolios In Bathrooms And Get Jobs

Inspiration: 20 Free Magazines for Designers

from bitfuul issue 5

Came across this and thought I'd share. It's not just for designers either -- art directors and
copywriters will also benefit from this stuff, even if it's just for inspiration. I've discovered and bookmarked a few goodies from this list.

Plus they're free - so what do you have to lose?

Be inspired!

20 Free Online Magazines for Graphic Designers

Posted by Ainsley | On 3 April,2013 | In Inspiration

 Online Magazines for Graphic Designers usually contain fantastic inspiration, interviews, designer spotlights and showcasing new and upcoming design talents. One way Graphic Designers find new and exciting ideas is by looking through Online Magazines, where you'll find the latest news, trends and in the design industry.

In today's collection I've gathered 20 creative Online Magazines for Graphic Designers, all of these magazines are of exceptional quality and highlight the importance of how important Graphic Design is. If you're in search of a monthly design fix, these free design magazines will help you out.

 

PDF Mags

Bak Magazine

Kromag

Veer

Proteus Mag

Blanket Magazine

Apocrifa Magazine

GizMag

Destructed

TXT Nein

Beast Magazine

Bitfuul

Revolution Art Magazine

Castle Magazine

Root Magazine

Breed Mag

Idea Fixa

Be Different

Design and Life

File Magazine

Make Something People Need

Whether it's for your book or for your client - or for your personal creative endeavors or job - always be thinking about what you can make that will be awesome.

Not just look or sound awesome. But is inherently awesome.

Something that solves a problem, answers a need, helps make people's lives better/easier/brighter and in the process, makes you rich and famous. Or at least popular.

I have a million and seven ideas for apps, sites and other randoms things I could do to make one little thing easier in someone's live (mostly my life - like why isn't there an app that lets me take a picture of my food and tells if it's the right portion size? I mean, how am I really supposed to know what 4 oz of anything is??)

I recently took a master class at Hyper Island NY sponsored by the Ad Club and one of the biggest takeaways was - Make something people need.

You can't go out of business if people need and use your product/service.
People will always need to bathe, eat, sleep, get a train or gas and so many other everyday things that somehow or another end up getting more challenging or frustrating than they need to be. (Like why can't I find my other blue sock??)

Here's an example of a product/service that looks at a real-world, human problem and came up with a solution that fits right into your life.

Start thinking about what you can create that solves a problem, fits into people's lives AND is awesome?

This is how you'll get hired and blogged about. And most importantly, this is how you're going to go to sleep every night feeling like you added some value to the world.

Start thinking.

Perfect Example: Size You. 

Via Digital Buzz


Size:You from Alexander Norling on Vimeo.


"The Miami Ad School students are really stepping it up, and here is a great example from Alexander Norling & Sara Uhelski, who have created ‘Size You’. A Bookmarklet that once dragged into your browser bar, will automatically check your perfect clothing size on any online store, so you never have to return something you bought online again!
The concept is simple, measure yourself once, enter the details on the Bookmarklet site, drag it into your browser bar and then where ever you shop, on the item page, just hit the ‘SizeYou’ Bookmarklet and it will match that items measurements against yours, to tell you the perfect size to buy. This would save me all sorts of online shopping pain"

Job Hunt Tips & Mistakes

Here's an interview with a creative recruiter that discusses Dos and Don'ts for your job search. Just in case you didn't believe a word I've been saying for the past 300ish posts...*ahem*... now you can hear it straight from the horse's mouth. And I can hold up Kanye's "I told you so" sign. (After I borrow that jacket.)

Stuff I Told You That's Reinforced in the Interview:

You must have a portfolio.

You need to have big ideas (conceptual campaigns that carry across different media with various executions.) 

An awesome portfolio trumps just about everything.

Internships help you know what kind of working environment you work best in and automatically puts you in the hiring pool for future positions. 

Be excited when a recruiter contacts you – but you have 3-4 rounds of meetings with different people and approvals to go through before you get hired – so don’t quit your retail job just yet.

Put your real name and contact info on everything.

Always include a link to your portfolio in emails etc.

Keep emails concise and focused.

Get on LinkedIn.

Have possible partners in mind just in case they’re looking for a team.

Network, network, network.

Ask questions.

Don’t be a pest.

Don’t look down on internships or freelance.

Learn about the agency you’re interviewing at.

Don’t copy and paste the same email over and over.

The Interview:
from Miami Ad School's blog

Recently we caught up with Alexis Gianoulis, Global Creative Talent Coordinator for Y&R in New York. She visited Miami Ad School South Beach to review portfolios and help students who are getting ready to graduate with interview skills and tips for their books. We spoke to her to get some insight into what she looks for when hiring and how students should prepare as they get ready to interview and look for a job. In today’s post, she talks about the importance of a portfolio and the educational background and experience of an applicant.

What do you look for in a portfolio and why is building one so important?
I look for big ideas! As a recruiter it's impossible to consider a candidate without a portfolio to show his or her work. Junior level positions and even internships are very competitive so it's a requirement for all aspiring copywriters and art directors. Today it's equally as important to have a portfolio available online.

Do you take into consideration the educational background and experience of a potential hire or is it more about the portfolio?
An awesome portfolio will always trump educational background and past experience; however,  it's something to take into consideration. It also depends on what type of job I have available. Sometimes the role dictates that the candidate has a specific skill set or prior experience. For example, I often get requests for art directors with a background in graphic design. As a global recruiter, sometimes I also get requests for candidates that can speak certain languages so that's another example.

Are internships important?
Yes, I think internships are extremely important for both the candidate and the employer. As a student it's difficult to know what type of environment you want to work in once you graduate (large agency vs. small agency, having mentorship vs. autonomy, working across accounts vs. being siloed, working in a major market vs. a smaller one, etc.). If you don't do an internship in a real-world setting, it'll make your job search that much harder. For the employer, it's a bonus to meet a junior candidate that's decisive in their goals. Also, doing an internship is a great way to get your foot in the door with an agency. Typically, we look to our past interns as potential hires when we have job openings.

Once a creative recruiter sees a candidates book and likes them what happens? Recruiter contacts the candidate by email or phone to discuss the opportunity and learn more about them personally. The recruiter might then send their portfolio to the Creative Services Director or a Creative Director for their opinion and feedback. Assuming everyone is still interested, the candidate is brought in to meet with the recruiter in person. Then, the candidate will be brought in again to meet with other members of the creative team (people they would be working with or working under). Final decisions are then made about hiring.

What tips would you give junior creatives who are looking for their first job? • Always include your contact information (email and phone number) on your personal website/portfolio. Include your real name somewhere on your portfolio. I often see a team name, nickname, stage name, etc. but that's not helpful when I'm trying to contact you. • If emailing a recruiter, make sure to send a link to your portfolio in the email. Otherwise, we probably won't go through the trouble of figuring it out. Keep emails short and sweet with a clear message about what you want. Most recruiters won’t take the time to read something that looks like an essay. • Get on LinkedIn. Do it now! Make sure your website/portfolio is available through LinkedIn. • Have a partner in mind even if it's someone you're willing to work independently from. At the junior level we most often hire in teams. • Take this time to network with as many people in the industry as possible! Don't be afraid to set up informational interviews/casual meetings and ask lots of questions.

What are the biggest mistakes you see juniors make? Not following the above tips, harassing recruiters for jobs, thinking you're too cool for school (not willing to consider a paid internship or freelance gig if a full-time job isn't available), not knowing anything about the agency you're interviewing with (recent work, top creative leaders working in the agency), and copy and pasting the same email message to multiple people in the same agency (we will know). I'm sure there are more mistakes but these were the first that came to mind.

New Ads For Old Things

Do you have anything in your book for a classic product? Something you remember from your childhood that's still around? Something that is so a part of our culture and lives that we don't even think about it?

Everyone else is working on the popular brands (Coke), local kitschy places (Brad's Bacon Bits & Tire Shop), or just making up products (Glow in the Dark Tide) - you should start thinking about creating something great for well-known brands that have survived decades of changing tastes, cultural shifts and technological advancements?

Stuff like LL Bean, Campbell's condensed soups, Hersey bars, Wilson footballs, Little Debbie, Wonderbread, Vaseline, Post-its, and Hasbro.

Check out these print ads for Scrabble (made by Hasbro.)
Some of them make you think, some make you smile, all in all, you get it and they all remind you that the most awesome game ever still exists.

What can you reach back into the past to relevant in 2013?

What awesome digital and social ideas could you come up with for Scrabble or another board game? (Think Connect Four, Battleship, Monopoly, Candyland etc.)

Get to work!

Great Ads For The Greatest Game Ever. 
(I may be slightly biased.)

via Copyranter

Good Beer Ads=Good Times?

Been talking about serious stuff recently. Today, let's go the complete opposite - what's more fun than beer?

Well, lots of things actually. Because working on beer advertising isn't really that fun.

Sorry to burst your bubble. 

Working on a beer brand is surprisingly challenging - from legal constraints to no real product differentiation to the daunting fact that you can do anything and the crushing reality that everything has already been done. Plus, having to be funny on demand and appeal to the mass market without offending anybody is like doing cartwheels through a mine field.

And don't forget, everyone has to keep the labels forward. Oh. And you can't actually show people drinking the beer.

Yeah. Good times I tell ya. Good times.

TIP: Unless you can come up with some amazing social extension/app/totally innovative game-changing thing - don't put beer ads in your book. 

Here are some of my favs from my memory and The Best 40 Beer Print Ads, 75 Creative and Humorous Beer Ads and 11 Best Goddamn Beer Ads Ever.

(Full disclosure: I'm partial too all things Heineken)

Make a PSA Today

Milk advertising is mostly propaganda and spin*. People think I'm weird when I say this. But I think it's weird that humans are the only species that drink another animal's milk and the only ones that drink milk as adults. Well, besides for cats, who are given cow's milk by humans... so... yeah. Bottom line is: Y’all are weirdos.

Anyway, I figured, if advertising could get seemingly sensible humans to do something so borderline ridiculous and against nature, then what else could advertising to get people to do?

The diabolical side of me first thought- "Take over the world!" [insert evil laughter]

But then the sweet part of me said- "Fix the world."

We work so hard every day to get people to buy things, to spend money and to over-indulge.

How about if we used our skills for good?

I say all this to ask - Do you have a PSA in your book yet? Or at least something, anything, that isn’t about spending, but about doing? Something that will move people to act or to change? Or at least think?

The image above is one of my favs that has stuck with me for years. It’s simple and striking.

Here are some others I thought were cool. Be inspired. Go create something that can fix the world.

Right now.

You can be funny:





Illustrative:


 

Depressing:
















Above all else, be smart:

And to not be a total Debbie Downer, here’s a video montage of cats loving or hating water.



* I'm not going to get into it now my whole anti-milk tirade, but milk doesn't really do a body good and isn't really going to help you lose weight and won't stop you from getting osteoporosis. And non-organic cow's milk... shudder.